Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 357

Chapter 357: Rescue(1) Chapter 357: Rescue(1) By the time the following night descended, the rebel army had finally emerged from the suffocating confines of the forest.

The open plains stretched out before them, offering a vastness they had not seen in weeks.

A few hours after the campfires were lit, the long-awaited carts arrived, creaking under the weight of promised provisions.

The sight of the wagons, laden with sacks and barrels, sent a palpable wave of excitement through the camp.

Rebels who had barely spoken for days now scrambled to unload the food with newfound energy.

For the first time in over a week, the rebels sat down to a proper meal.

Gone were the meager scraps and foraged roots; tonight, there was bread, dried meat, and even a small measure of ale.

The camp was alive with the sound of crackling fires, murmured thanks, and the occasional laughter-a stark contrast to the sullen silence that had gripped them during their march.

Lucius and Marcus sat near one of the fires, sharing a simple meal.

Lucius tore into a piece of bread, savoring every bite like it was a feast fit for a king.

Marcus gnawed on a strip of dried meat, his face lighting up with one of his lost smiles.  The two were still heavily guarded, but they did not care about that, as they now had their belly filled.

After all, seeing how someone actually met Inor and express interest for a deal, be it fake or real meant that perhaps their lives were not forfeited as they previously thought; of course, they were not out of the woods yet, but at least the knowledge that there was a path forward alleviated their worries a lot.

Lucius took a deep, relieved breath, his eyes scanning the camp around them.

“You got me worried there, Marcus,” he said with a light chuckle, his voice betraying a hint of lingering tension.

“You really made me start pondering the possibility of being silenced.

I thought we were done for, that we’d never make it out of that forest.” Marcus, chewing slowly, gave a small smile and nodded, as if his thoughts were aligned with his friend’s.

“Thank the gods for their mercy, never thought I would be so happy to be proved wrong.” he muttered quietly, glancing up toward the starlit sky.

”Thank them for allowing us to keep our lives; thank them for allowing us to have such food once again.  He paused, the weariness of the past weeks showing in his eyes.

“You know,” Marcus continued, the weight of the moment sinking in, “when I get back home, I think I’ll become a new man.

A proper one.

No more of this…

reckless living.

I’ve seen too much to keep pretending I’m invincible.” Lucius snorted, unable to suppress his grin.

“A new man, eh?

You planning on stopping with the whoring then?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sure Yarzat’s whore will go begging now.” Marcus glanced at him seriously, a rare edge of sincerity to his expression.

“No.

I’m serious.

When I get home, I’ll settle down.

Build a proper family.Do as you did” His voice was low but resolute, the light of conviction in his eyes.

“For once, I want a future that’s not just about the next drink or the next woman.” Lucius blinked, surprised by the shift in his companion’s tone.

His usual sarcastic, devil-may-care demeanor was gone, replaced by an unexpected seriousness that hung between them for a moment.

But after a beat, Lucius let out a hearty laugh.

“Well, I’ll believe it when I see it, he said with a grin, “but I hope for your sake you’re being serious about this one.” As the hours passed, the conversation between Lucius and Marcus continued through the night , everyone was happy about finally eating, and the relaxed mood made everyone feel a bit calmer in their minds.

As the night deepened, the two men remained by their fire, their talk slowing as weariness took over them , making them decide to call it a day and go to sleep, much to the relief of their guards, who wanted some silence but that were told by Inor to treat them better than before, which meant not shutting their conversations when they became too loud.

———— The guards stationed near Lucius and Marcus exchanged glances as the camp grew quieter, and as usual they divided the night’s watch between them .

Two of them prepared to sit through the first shift, while the other pair settled in for a brief rest, their faces shadowed by the dim glow of the dying fire.

One of the watchmen crouched low near the flames, a long stick in his hand as he poked at the charred remnants of the wood.

There was nothing much to do , so one of them played with the fire.

Sparks danced upward with each jab, flaring briefly before fading into the night.

He tilted his head toward his companion, his voice a mix of dry humor and complaint.

“Well, that’s the end of that,” the first guard muttered, poking at the fading embers with a stick.

He gestured lazily at the dwindling pile of ash.

“Unless some brave, selfless soul wants to fetch more wood for the fire…” The other guard groaned, rubbing his face like a man burdened by existence itself.

” Go to hell.” “Come on, you son of a whore,” the first one shot back, grinning.

“I was the one who fetched wood last night.” “Yeah, because we were in a bloody forest, you dumb bastard,” the second guard retorted, throwing a glare his way.

“My point still stands,” the first one said with a shrug, clearly enjoying himself.

The second guard rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh as he rose to his feet.

“Fine, fine.

Don’t burn the whole damn camp down while I’m gone.

I’ll grab some wood… and maybe take a piss while I’m at it, my cock feels as if it’s bursting.” The first guard smirked, leaning back against a log and stretching with a mock yawn.

“Don’t wander too far now.

If you get lost, I’m not dragging your sorry ass back here.” “Noted,” the second guard replied, waving a hand dismissively as he turned and headed into the shadows beyond the firelight.

The remaining guard shook his head, chuckling softly as he prodded the fire once more.

“Lazy bastard,” he muttered with a smirk, watching the sparks jump and fade.

Around him, the camp was quiet save for the crackle of the flames and the distant shuffle of his companion disappearing into the dark.

Some dozens of minutes passed, the fire crackling softly as the lone guard stared into the glowing embers.Just when he was wondering where his friend was , the faint rustle of footsteps behind him broke the stillness.

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he muttered, “Took your damn time, didn’t you?” Silence answered him, colder than the night air.

”Oi are you there?” The guard frowned, his brow furrowingas he slowly started to turn- But before he could turn completely , a hand clamped over his mouth, silencing the sharp intake of breath that would have been his cry.

His eyes widened in panic as he felt the cold kiss of steel against his chest.

The glint of a dagger in the firelight was the last thing he saw before it plunged deep, seeking his heart with deadly precision, with down-up motion.

The pain was sharp, fleeting, as his body stiffened in shock.

A wet gasp escaped against the hand that muffled him, his vision blurring as warmth spread through his chest-not from the fire, but from his own blood.

The guard slumped forward, his lifeless body collapsing near the fire, the faint flicker of its glow reflecting in his glassy, unseeing eyes.

The camp remained quiet, the night swallowing the soft thud of his fall.

The killer turned his head sharply, his face half-illuminated by the firelight a small drip of sweat reaching down his back as he realized how close he was to fucking it all up.Almost instictively he turned behind exchaning gaze with the two behind him ”Get on with it,” one of them said as he walked forward.

One of them approached his target, crouching low, placing a firm hand over the guard’s mouth to muffle any sound, repeating the same motion as the other one.

The sleeping man stirred faintly, his eyes fluttering open in confusion for the briefest of moments before the dagger drove into his chest.

The guard’s body tensed, then went slack as his life drained away.

The other assassin mirrored the movements, clasping the mouth close before striking with the dagger; this time however he missed the heart and instead pierced the lung , prompting him to take out the dagger and repeating the motion until he got it right.

In the meantime, the guards choking on his own blood and futilely trying to get the man off of him swung his arms trying to free himself , until with each thrust his effort became lighter and lighter, before ceasing to move all-together  The more time i passed the more the kill-count of each of them increased, until all the ten guards watching over Lucius and Marcus, who were sleeping on some rugs on the ground unbothered by the sounds around them, were killed.

One of the assassins prompted by the other to go ahead, slowly looked around, and after making sure that nobody was up, much to his relief as they took much more time than they expected, he slowly walked towards Lucius.

His chest rose up steadily, the men standing before him gazed at him for a few seconds before quickly clasping his mouth shut as he did with the other.